I love that they had Alex using the same contact name for Henry that he used in the book. I also liked how they incorporated at least some of the texts and of course the turkey call from the book.
While I love this entire "text message/phone call" sequence, my absolute favorite part is when they're recommending books to each other. From my experience, you truly get to know someone through the literature they enjoy and I feel that such conversations led to a key turning point in their friendship. By discussing their favorite books and/or writers, they're slowly but surely letting their guard down to reveal their true selves to one another.
Its such a cool way of showing the texts & the phone call! I love how during the phone call Henry's voice goes more real & sounds in-person & as it gets to the end it switches back to sounding like he is actually talking through a phone!
Maybe that's why it was going all "gobble gobble" even after the conversation ended, it was telling Alex that he should gobble up with Henry more often. 😂
I love how Henry put the Spy Kids sticker after saying he got the number from MI6. It's so cute and so Henry. 0:27-Also Alex's smile is cute there like, "This guy."😏 And as a huge bookworm and professional Book Reviewer, I love when they share their favorite authors. (I also recommend all of those books too). You can tell a lot about someone by their literary tastes. For example with the exception of Zadie Smith, most of Henry's recommendations are from the 19th century, very Romantic works that used a lot of symbolism and metaphor that reflects emotions. Also remember Henry was an English Lit major. Alex's book recommendations are mostly from the 20th Century and are more about realistic iseues like racism, authoritarianism, sexuality and other concerns that are up front and not hidden. While there is some Magical Realism in Love in the Time of Cholera, it also deals with the changing political environment of Colombia. In other words, these are books that someone who is interested in politics like Alex would recommend.
Just thinking when Henry send the “Alex to be a father” then makes a joke, but wonder also if he’s secretly trying to find out if it’s true like maybe is Alex seeing someone?! Thoughts
I think so. At this point, he doesn't know Alex's sexuality for sure and is probably not only teasing him but also testing the waters to see if it was true and whether he was only interested in women.
One of the things I find most interesting about this sequence is that we only see Henry super-imposed on Alex's life. Henry's texts appearing in Alex's classes, Henry on the bench where Alex runs, Henry into Alex's bed in the White House, etc. We don't see Alex brought into the real world of Henry's life. I think this speaks to how Henry is already into Alex, so we are watching the slow-burn of Alex falling for Henry as they grow closer over the phone. I also think it makes it more believable that Alex didn't understand exactly what it was like to be a royal and to be in the closet when they later fell for each other. Easily one of my favorite sequences in the film.
The approach between Alex anda Henry, via cell phone, was really ok, but it´'s still very quick. They should include the episode (in the book) where Alex actually chooses to call Henry to vent about some family problems (at Christmas) and encourages Henry to talk about himself. Or even include another episode in which they meet, in person, between the hospital visit (first approach) and New Year's Eve (first kiss scene), leaving a passionate tension in the air. It's the only thing that I changed about the film. And it could be a series...
If y'all haven't read the book yet, do it! Every email they send to one another is in there. Like damn, they are deeply in love in the book. It's intense.
Bellend is a British slang term, literally referring to the head of the penis, used generally to refer to someone who is stupid or annoying. I am American; I heard it used in a British-based show and looked it up previously. Henry obviously is using it somewhat affectionately in this case to tease Alex.
